Sensors are placed in a variety of locations to sense or detect a variety of conditions or events. For example, fuel leak sensor may be placed on the outside wall or containment walls of an aircraft fuel tank to detect a leak. Sensor may be placed within shipping containers to detect tilt, corrosive species, wall cracks, light, temperature or impact. Sensors are required to be hardwired because wireless transmissions of signals from an internal point to an external receiver are severely attenuated, or weakened in force or intensity, as the signals pass through the metal enclosures. The attenuation of the wireless signal makes wireless communication with a sensor within a metal tank difficult. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems and other wireless devices inside a metal enclosure are found to be unable to communicate with an outside antenna or reader without a direct wired connection. Furthermore, the penetration of a wire in a sealed tank may be problematic if the tank is designed to maintain a pressure or remain completely filled with a liquid.
Accordingly, a need exists to communicate with sensors within metal enclosures without a wire penetration in the metal enclosure.